Ilya Kabakov

(Paperback)

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Based in New York, Ilya Kabatov is considered the most important Russian artist to have emerged in the late-20th century. His installations are after akin to theatrical "mise-en-scenes", presenting a cramped communal apartment or a flooded art museum as though they are comedies on human frustration and doomed aspirations. Boris Groys, art critic and philosopher, surveys the artist's long career, analyzing its philosophical and formal dimensions in terms of art history, as well as the artist's biography. David A. Ross, Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, discusses the artist's bridging of eastern and western contemporary art practices. Curator at the Tate Gallery of Modern art, Iwona Blazwick concentrates on the artist's contribution to the Skulptur Projekte Munster 1997, "Looking up. Reading the words". Anton Checkov's short story, "The Steppe", mirrors Kabakov's own, uniquely Russian blend of irony and tragedy. The artist's writings, which include a short text on contemporary art in the former Soviet Union, an illustrated fairy-tale and an article on Cezanne complete this monograph. The book is part of a series of studies of important artists of the late-20th century. Each title offers a comprehensive survey of the artist's work, providing analyses and multiple perspectives on contemporary art and its inspiration.

Reviews

'The boldest, best executed, and most far-reaching publishing project devoted to contemporary art. These books will revolutionize the way contemporary art is presented and written about.' (Artforum)

'The combination of intelligent analysis, personal insight, useful facts and plentiful pictures is a superb format invaluable for specialists but also interesting for casual readers, it makes these books a must for the library of anyone who cares about contemporary art.' (Time Out)

'A unique series of informative monographs on individual artists.' (The Sunday Times)

'Gives the reader the impression of a personal encounter with the artists. Apart from the writing which is lucid and illuminating, it is undoubtedly the wealth of lavish illustrations which makes looking at these books a satisfying entertainment.' (The Art Book)

Author Bio

Boris Groys freelance author and critic, is Professor of Aesthetics and Media Theory at ZKM (Centre for Art and Media Technology), Karlsruhe, Germany. His books include The Total Art of Stalinism: Avant-garde, Aesthetic Dictatorship, and Beyond (1992).

David A. Ross, formerly Director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, is a widely published writer on contemporary art. His books include Spring and Summer: Soviet Conceptual Art in the Era of Late Communism (1989) and Bill Viola (1997).

Iwona Blazwick, Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, has also held the posts of Curator of the Tate Modern, London, and Director of Exhibitions at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts. As an independent curator, her many international exhibitions of contemporary and twentieth-century art have included Kabakov's first major solo exhibition in Britain. From 1993-97 she was Commissioning Editor for Contemporary Art at Phaidon Press.